Keyless entry system linked to vehicle-to-vehicle communication system

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for use in a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. A remote keyless entry fob is provided for remote control of vehicle access. The fob includes a receiver for receiving a message broadcast by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system and a memory for storing at least some elements of said message

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/013,492, filed on Feb. 2, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/111,740, filed on Feb. 4, 2015. Thedisclosures in these applications are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a remote keyless entry system for avehicle, where the remote keyless entry system is linked to andcooperative with a vehicle-to-vehicle communications system.

BACKGROUND

Remote keyless entry (“RKE”) systems are widely used in vehicle entryapplications. A small, portable, battery-powered fob controls entry intothe vehicle wirelessly via one or more radio frequency (“RF”) links. RKEsystems may be designed for one-directional RF communication (from a fobto a vehicle), only, or for bidirectional communication between the foband the vehicle. In one-way RKE systems, the fob contains an RFtransmitter for sending entry commands to an RF receiver mounted insidethe vehicle. In two-way RKE systems, the fob is instead equipped with anRF transceiver for two-directional communication with anothertransceiver mounted inside the vehicle.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (“DOT's”) National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced in February 2014 thatit was beginning to take steps to enable light vehicles in the U.S. tobe equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (“V2V”) communication. The V2Vcommunication technology would allow vehicles to “talk” to each other,exchanging basic safety data, such as speed and position, ten timesevery second. The goal of the V2V technology would be to avoid manycrashes altogether through the sharing of situational information. NHTSAalso stated in the announcement that they would begin working on aregulatory proposal that would require V2V devices in new vehicles in afuture year. It is expected that such V2V systems will operate in the5.8 GHz range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle's RKE system islinked to and cooperative with the vehicle's V2V communication system.Advantageously, the RKE system is designed to operate within the samefrequency band (e.g., the 5.8 GHz band) used for V2V communications.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention,apparatus is provided for use in a vehicle equipped with avehicle-to-vehicle communication system. The apparatus comprises aremote keyless entry fob for remote control of vehicle access where thefob includes a receiver for receiving a message generated by thevehicle-to-vehicle communication system and a memory for storing atleast some elements of the message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the presentinvention relates upon reading the following description with referenceto the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of one example embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one example embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle isequipped with a vehicle to vehicle (“V2V”) communication systemoperating in a particular RF band, such as the 5.8 GHz band, and is alsoequipped with a remote keyless entry (“RKE”) system that is configuredto receive communications from the V2V communication system.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle RKE system 10 typically includes aportable fob 12, carried by the vehicle owner, which is capable oftransmitting RF messages to a paired vehicle 14. The fob may include,for example, operator buttons 16, a controller 18, and an RKE RFtransmitter 20. RKE transmitter 20 will send RKE messages in RF channelsof 315 MHz or 434 MHz, for example. Such RKE systems have been in usefor many years and are now sophisticated communications systems, oftenbidirectional, employing low frequency (“LF”) initiation and usingrolling code encryption processes for enhanced security. For simplicity,such features are omitted from FIG. 1.

Vehicle 14 will include an RF RKE receiver 22 for receiving RKE messagesfrom the fob, as well as a controller 24 for responding to such messagesby, e.g., locking or unlocking vehicle doors, opening the boot or trunkor rear gate, sounding the horn, etc. The fob and vehicle RKE systemsmay even cooperate to provide hands-free door unlocking, vehicle keylessstart, and other benefits.

In FIG. 1, vehicle 14 is equipped with a V2V communication systemincluding a V2V transceiver 26. Transceiver 26 communicates withcontroller 24 and other vehicle systems via a bus 28. V2V transceiver 26collects location information from a GPS receiver 30, as well as othervehicle information from other vehicle subsystems, and assembles theinformation into one or more V2V messages. Transceiver 26 broadcasts themessages to nearby vehicles in the RF channel allocated to V2Vcommunications, for example 5.8 GHz. Of course, V2V transceiver 26 willalso receive V2V messages from nearby vehicles and send such messages toother onboard vehicle subsystems for display or other appropriateresponsive actions.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, RKEfob 12 will also be equipped with a V2V RF receiver 32 to receivemessages generated by the vehicle's V2V communication system. As statedpreviously, such messages will be broadcast in a much higher frequencychannel, such as 5.8 GHz, than is typically used by RKE systems. Toreceive this V2V signal, the receiver 32 will be dedicated receiver,optimized for the V2V channel. In bidirectional RKE systems, however,receiver 32 may be a digitally-tuned receiver capable of beingelectronically tuned to receive signals in either the V2V or the RKEchannel. Of course, the fob and the RKE system overall could otherwisebe configured to incorporate any or all of the various benefits andadvancements of existing RKE systems.

The vehicle's V2V communication system, which is shown only insimplified form in FIG. 1, could take any conventional form. Aspreviously stated, V2V transceiver 26 will receive and send V2V messagesin the assigned V2V RF frequency band. The V2V communication system willoperate while the vehicle is in operation, notifying nearby vehicles ofbasic safety data, such as speed and position, multiple times persecond. The position information will be obtained from a GPS receiver onthe vehicle. The GPS receiver may be embedded in the V2V communicationsystem or, as illustrated in the FIG. 1 embodiment, it may instead beembedded in some other vehicular system and sent to the V2Vcommunication system over the vehicle data bus 28. In addition to speedand location, the message broadcast by the V2V communication system mayinclude other information about that vehicle, e.g. status informationsuch as linear and rotational acceleration that is relevant to thesafety of surrounding vehicles.

When a driver turns off the ignition switch of the vehicle, the V2Vcommunication system will remain powered and active for a short periodof time to broadcast one or more final V2V messages notifying nearbyvehicles of the vehicle's stationary status and its location. The V2Vmessage will preferably include not only vehicle location and status,but also other safety information.

The owner's fob 12 receives the V2V information via its embedded V2Vreceiver 32, and stores some or all of the information in a memory inthe fob. In FIG. 1, the memory is contained within controller 18. V2Vinformation is loaded into memory, and later retrieved from memory, bythe programmed microprocessor that forms the core of controller 18. Toprevent excess fob battery usage, the controller is programmed toreceive and store only the information in such “final” V2V messages, andnot the routine V2V messages that are broadcast during travel. Such“final” V2V messages are preferably identified via a tag embedded in themessages, but could instead be deduced readily from velocity or locationinformation within the message. Moreover, fob 12 monitors and verifiesthe vehicle ID portion of the V2V message and will not listen to orrecord information from messages sent by vehicles other than the vehiclewith which the fob is paired.

The V2V information will thereafter be stored in the memory within thefob and will be carried about by the vehicle owner. Thus, the vehiclelocation information and other V2V message elements (includinginformation regarding vehicle malfunctions associated with vehiclesafety) are available to the owner via the fob. Selected elements of theinformation may be supplied to the owner via an indicator system 34.Indicator 34 may be a display device on the face of the fob. In thiscase, controller 18 will display information on the display device,either in a standard preset format or interactively responsive to buttonpresses by the owner. Alternatively, for convenient readout of, andinteraction with, the stored information, indicator 34 may be a link toother devices, e.g. the owner's cell phone, tablet, computer, or TV, viaa near field communication (“NFC”) link, a Bluetooth link, a USB port,or some other link. Through this arrangement, the owner can check thecondition of the vehicle and especially information associated withvehicle safety. Armed with the V2V information, the owner can takeproper action to resolve any issues related to vehicle safety.

Further, the vehicle's location, derived from the vehicle's GPS, will bepresent in the V2V information stored in the fob. The fob-stored vehiclelocation information can help the owner locate his or her vehicle. Ifthe fob-stored vehicle location information is communicated to, anddisplayed on, a cell phone, tablet, or other device having its ownembedded GPS receiver and a display screen, then the cell phone or otherdevice will know the current location of the owner and can convenientlypresent on the display screen a conventional GPS map showing the owner'scurrent location and also (from the V2V information stored in the fob)the location of the vehicle.

Alternatively, if the owner's fob also has its own embedded GPS receiver(not separately shown in FIG. 1), the fob may indicate the location ofthe vehicle relative to the fob either through a display screen on thefob, or via some other indicator. The indicator may be as rudimentary asan indicator light whose brightness, blink rate, or color changes toindicate whether the owner's current walking direction is bringing himor her nearer to the vehicle.

The fob may, e.g., calculate fob movement (equal to the change over timeof the fob location) from local GPS data and compare that fob movementto the closing distance with the vehicle (equal to the change over timeof the distance between the stored vehicle location and the current foblocation). If the fob movement is roughly the same as the closingdistance, then the driver is moving directly towards the vehicle. If thefob movement is the opposite of the closing distance, then the driver ismoving directly away from the vehicle. The indicator light may bemodulated as to color, intensity, blink rate, to indicate the twoextremes (directly toward and directly away) and situations between thetwo extremes.

Thus, by operating on the same frequency channel as the V2Vcommunication system, the fob can obtain safety information and locationinformation from the V2V communication system and use the informationfor diagnosis, vehicle locating and other conveniences.

Moreover, subject to government regulatory approval, the system could befurther simplified by eliminating the traditional RKE RF channel andinstead sharing the V2V channel for both RKE and V2V communications. Insuch a system, the fob would send RKE messages in the V2V channel andthe need for a separate RKE transceiver in the vehicle and in the fobwould thus be obviated. Moreover, the fob transmitter, which wouldoperate at V2V frequencies, could re-broadcast V2V information receivedfrom its paired vehicle and/or from other vehicles thereby to extend therange of the V2V information. The V2V information rebroadcast by the fobwould be available to those vehicles that are within range of the RKEfob but not in range of the vehicle that generated the original V2Vmessage. Rebroadcasting of the V2V message will thus expand the V2Voperating range. The expanded range could be especially useful insituations where an accident has occurred.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fob may be configured toperiodically ping the vehicle to verify the continued presence of thevehicle. The fob may for example use the fob's RKE transmitter to pingthe vehicle. Based on vehicle location (from stored V2V data) and thefob location, the fob may adjust its own transmission power level andeven potentially specify to the vehicle the power level to be used fortransmission of the V2V messages. As stated previously, fob location canbe obtained through a GPS receiver inside the fob. Alternatively the GPSinformation could be supplied from a device external to the fob. Theexternal device may, for example, have its own GPS receiver or it mayknow its location via some other means (e.g. an internet-connecteddesktop computer having an IP address associated with its location).Based on the distance between the fob and the vehicle (whose location isindicated by the V2V information stored in the fob) and the strength ofthe V2V reply from the vehicle, different warning information can beprovided. For example, if the distance is short and yet no V2V reply isreceived following the ping, a high level warning will be issued.

The fob may also periodically monitor for V2V transmissions from itsvehicle. If a bad event occurs (such as a thief breaking a window,unlocking a vehicle door, or starting the vehicle, or the parked vehiclebeing sharply jolted, as by another vehicle striking the parkedvehicle), the vehicle will detect the event and will respond bytriggering the V2V communication system to transmit V2V information toalert the vehicle owner's fob, and thus the owner, of the bad event. TheV2V communication system may transmit at a higher power level initiallyto increase the chance that the fob will receive the signal.

A fob containing a V2V receiver may not only monitor V2V transmissionsfrom its own vehicle, but also from other vehicles in the vicinity. Suchother vehicles might be in the same parking lot or perhaps in proximityto the owner's property. In this case, the fob can act as a securitysurveillance tool. The fob may be placed on a charger in the house andconstantly monitor V2V messages transmitted by vehicles in the area. Thefob can be linked by a hard wire or a wireless link to a computer orhome security system or electronic light system. For security orconvenience, the computer or home security system can control houselights, including porch and/or garage lights, in response to alertsreceived by the fob. Also, or alternatively, the vehicle owner's garagedoor opener may be equipped with a V2V receiving channel to directlylink to the fob and the vehicle.

From the above description of the invention, those skilled in the artwill perceive improvements, changes and modifications. Suchimprovements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art areintended to be covered by the appended claims.

Having described the invention, I claim:
 1. A vehicle safety systemcomprising: a vehicle-based communication system adapted to transmit andreceive wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication signals and toreceive wireless remote keyless entry (RKE) communication signals; and afob adapted to transmit the wireless RKE communication signals and toreceive the wireless V2V communication signals, wherein thevehicle-based communication system and the fob are configured such thatthe V2V communication signals and the RKE communication signals aretransmitted and received on a shared communication frequency.
 2. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the RKE communicationsignal comprises an RKE message.
 3. The vehicle safety system recited inclaim 2, wherein the vehicle-based communication system is configured toreceive the wireless signal from the fob and to respond to the RKEmessage in the wireless signal transmitted by the fob.
 4. The vehiclesafety system recited in claim 1, wherein the fob comprises atransmitter and a receiver for communicating with the vehicle-basedcommunication system.
 5. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1,wherein the fob comprises a transceiver for communicating with thevehicle-based communication system.
 6. The vehicle safety system recitedin claim 1, wherein the vehicle-based communication system comprises atleast one of a transmitter, a receiver, and a transceiver forcommunicating with V2V communication systems of other vehicles within apredetermined vicinity and for communicating with the fob.
 7. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the V2V communicationfrequency is a frequency within or above the high frequency radiofrequency spectrum.
 8. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1,wherein the V2V communication frequency is a 5.8 GHz frequency.
 9. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the fob is configuredto re-broadcast the V2V communication signals received from thevehicle-based communication system to other vehicles within apredetermined vicinity of the fob.
 10. The vehicle safety system recitedin claim 1, wherein the fob is configured to adjust a fob signaltransmission power level based on GPS information related to thelocation of the vehicle.
 11. The vehicle safety system recited in claim10, wherein the fob is configured to obtain the GPS information from atleast one of the V2V communication signal received from thevehicle-based communication system, a GPS receiver inside the fob, and adevice external to the fob.
 12. The vehicle safety system recited inclaim 1, wherein the vehicle-based communication system is furtheradapted to receive V2V communication signals from other vehicles withina predetermined vicinity and provide the recorded messages to onboardvehicle systems and subsystems for display or responsive action.
 13. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle-basedcommunication system is adapted to operate while the vehicle isoperating, the vehicle-based communication system being adapted tonotify nearby vehicles of safety data comprising at least one ofvelocity, direction, location, linear acceleration, and rotationalacceleration.
 14. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1, whereinthe vehicle-based communication system is adapted to remain powered andactive for a predetermined period of time after the vehicle ignition isswitched off in order to broadcast one or more final V2V communicationsignals, and wherein the fob is adapted to store at least a portion ofthe information received in the one or more final V2V communicationsignals in memory.
 15. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 14,wherein the one or more final V2V communication signals comprise atleast one of vehicle stationary status information, locationinformation, and vehicle safety information.
 16. The vehicle safetysystem recited in claim 14, wherein the fob is adapted to receive andstore only the information in the one or more final V2V communicationsignals.
 17. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein thefob is adapted to receive and verify a vehicle ID portion of the V2Vcommunication signal to verify that the signal is from the vehicleassociated with the fob.
 18. The vehicle safety system recited in claim17, wherein the fob is adapted to ignore V2V communication signals fromother vehicles based on the vehicle ID portion.
 19. The vehicle safetysystem recited in claim 1, wherein the fob is adapted to store theinformation received in the V2V communication signal in the memorywithin the fob.
 20. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1,wherein the fob is adapted to permit a user to access the vehiclelocation information and other V2V communication signal elementsincluding information regarding vehicle malfunctions associated withvehicle safety.
 21. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1,wherein the fob is adapted to provide selected elements of the V2Vcommunication signal to the owner via an indicator comprising at leastone of a display on the fob, a cell phone, a tablet computer, a personalor notebook computer, a television via at least one of a near fieldcommunication link, a low-power RF communication protocol, and a USBconnection.
 22. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1, whereinthe fob is adapted to utilize GPS location information from the V2Vcommunication signal to determine the location of the vehicle relativeto the fob.
 23. The vehicle safety system recited in claim 1, whereinthe fob comprises an embedded GPS receiver and is adapted to comparecurrent GPS location of the fob with stored GPS location of the vehicleto determine the location of the vehicle relative to the fob.
 24. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the fob is adapted tocooperate with an external device having GPS capabilities to determinethe location of the vehicle relative to the fob.
 25. The vehicle safetysystem recited in claim 1, wherein the fob and the V2V communicationsystem are adapted to communicate on the same frequency, the fob beingadapted to obtain safety information and location information from theV2V communication system and provide the safety and location informationto an external system for at least one of vehicle diagnosis, vehiclelocating, and vehicle information recordation and/or display.
 26. Thevehicle safety system recited in claim 1, wherein the fob is adapted toperiodically ping the V2V communication system for information relatedto vehicle security systems, comprising glass breakage information, doorlock information, vehicle ignition information, vehicle impactinformation, and vehicle security system information.